Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

If using a Mehu-Liisa to extract apple juice, is draining the hot liquid into a properly cleaned and heated jar with a two piece canning lid all that is needed? What is the shelf life?

Ron in Missouri

It is still recommended that you process the juice in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to ensure a safe, long-lasting seal. Once canned, the juice will stay good indefinitely. — Jackie

Canada Crookneck seeds

I was wondering where you got your Canada crookneck squash seeds, and if you will be having these seeds available in your seed catalog?

Margaret Ringham Westbrook, Minnesota

I got my Canada Crookneck seeds from a friend in northern Minnesota. Yes, we’ll be offering these seeds in our seed listing which we’re putting together as soon as we have harvested and dried enough seeds to begin selling. Keep an eye on the blog. — Jackie

Besides harvesting many wild pin cherries and chokecherries, the wild plums are coming on like mad. Not to mention our own tame fruit. We’ve been especially thrilled with our Hansen’s Bush Cherries. The fruit is large, almost the size of wild plums, meaty and tasty. And it makes the BEST jam and jelly ever! Yum. We’re planting several cherry pits in a tire full of dirt so they’ll chill and overwinter outside, to come up next spring. We’ve done that in the past and nearly every pit sprouted. We’d like a whole lot more of these bushes around our homestead. (We’ve been planting them in clearings here and there around the place, making “wild” bushes out of them.)

Burgess sells them very inexpensively but they call them Western Sand Cherries. Other catalogs call them different things. But look for Prunus besseyi, the scientific name, if unsure.

Our grapes really took off this summer. We have ten different varieties and some are bearing this year. Our Valiant is leading the pack with ripe, tasty bunches of beautiful grapes. I wanted to make a grape arbor for them out of stock panels this spring but that never got done. Oh well, maybe next spring?

The orchard really took a hit with last winter’s record-breaking cold spell; 90 days of subzero weather for a high, in a row! We had a lot of branches that winter-killed and even a tree or two. But amazingly, our Frostbite survived untouched (hey, it’s the name!) and has a good crop of tasty apples. Also, our Prairie Magic and Trailman crab (which tastes wonderful) are heavily loaded. Other trees vary from one or two apples to none. But if they live it’s a miracle. We’ve heavily pruned the dead wood and the extra young branches off the trees in order to put more strength into the roots and help re-shape the trees. Hopefully, they’ll recover and go on to grow nicely next spring. — Jackie

We made a mistake in the current issue, Issue No. 149, September/October 2014. In the article titled “Nut trees on your homestead,” we inadvertently put in the wrong photo over the caption that reads “Chestnuts grow inside groups of prickly burrs which split open, revealing shiny, flattish nuts when they become ripe.” We put a photo of a horse chestnut, which is poisonous. Horse chestnuts are so bitter that it would be hard to accidentally eat them, but they are poisonous. We should have put a photo of an edible American chestnut. We apologize for the error. Please share this with any BHM subscribers that you know.

Because we were concerned, we contacted some folks who know about poisons and such.

According to an Oregon Health Services University toxicologist, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea are the most common symptoms of eating the seed. But, it is so bitter that it is intolerable to eat so it is very rare for someone to ingest a large amount.

Also, the person we spoke to at Oregon Poison Control said the seed is very bitter; it is highly unlikely that someone would swallow it. Minimal cases are reported, as it is a well-known plant. On the off-chance that someone did eat it, the seed will not kill them. One or two seeds may only cause gastroenteritis, and larger amounts cause mouth irritation. Ingestion of large quantities (or repeated ingestion of small quantities) can cause bigger systemic problems, particularly in children.

But the Bill Bean tomato in this photo is no mistake! We have several that will weigh in at three pounds or more. WOW! One plant has more than 20 tomatoes on it that weigh at least a pound or more each. Now that’s productive. And for such a huge tomato, it is very meaty and makes Brandywine cringe in shame.

Yesterday we hosted a gathering of the combined Chisholm and Hibbing garden clubs. We toured our gardens, orchard, and berry patch and spent more than 3 hours showing people what we grow and varieties that do well for us here, and explaining how our homestead works. It was fun and very well attended. The interest in heirloom, open pollinated crops was exciting.

Today while Will is hauling round bales of hay home from the fields I’m starting to harvest seeds from some of our earliest maturing tomatoes. Bill Bean, which we had previously figured was a 100 day tomato, came in at just over 75 days this year! We always save seeds from the earliest maturing fruits to “encourage” the varieties to become earlier producing. So I have several bowls lined up on the counter ready to receive tons of tomato seeds from many different varieties of tomatoes. Some are old favorites such as Punta Banda, Early Firefall, and Cherokee Purple but a lot are new to us. We’re especially excited about Alpine, a smaller “regular” tomato that is hugely productive and early; Indigo Beauty, a mid-sized gorgeous tomato with a purple top and orange lower half; Glacier, another very productive smaller tomato; and Mule Team, which is a red, round quite early flavorful addition to our garden. What fun!

Just a note: We still have many slots left for our Sept 12-14th Homestead Seminar. I’m not sure what’s happened, but there hasn’t been a lot of response to this potentially great harvest seminar. If you’re interested in coming, let us know. (We may have to quit offering seminars due to lack of response.) — Jackie

Although we’re scheduled for more snow, the ground is pretty much thawed and it feels like spring. And FINALLY our water line from the well is thawed out. Hooray! We’re definitely doing some work to prevent that from happening again even though it was the coldest winter in all Minnesota history.

I’ve been continuing transplanting, now working on my Pink Wave petunias while my late tomatoes continue growing. And in the garden, our cherry trees have swelling buds and the rhubarb is popping up out of the ground with cone-shaped red noses and small crinkled green leaves. It feels SO good! Yesterday I cleaned out one of my front flower beds, digging a few clumps of nettles and grass so at least we’ll start with a clean bed. I also planted several packs of sweet peas. It seems like I always wait until too late and they don’t do so well, becoming overwhelmed by peonies and delphiniums as the weather warms. (Sweet peas should be planted as soon as you can work the soil.) A few years back I had magnificent sweet peas all over the yard, on the pallet fence, across the front of the house, and here and there, climbing on wire and strings. WOW! I want that again.

I’m simmering up ham to can (again) and the pantry will be fatter soon.

Will’s busy repairing our big field disc so when the ground is ready he can disc up our new hay-field-to-be in preparation for seeding it in. We’re also planting a few acres in sweet corn, pumpkins, and squash so he’ll be discing that up too. Then there’s the hay fields we rent that need parts plowed (weather and rain permitting), fertilized, and re-planted. Always so much to do, come real spring.

Yesterday I spoke at the Northern Minnesota Hospital Auxiliary meeting in the city of Virginia, Minnesota. My subject was gardening and that was very well received by a packed auditorium. Of course, there were dozens and dozens of questions following my presentation. I’m tickled that so many folks are once again turning to gardening, some after years of abstinence. It seems like people all over are sick of food from Mexico, China, Brazil, and other foreign countries that still use very toxic agricultural chemicals. These chemicals are perfectly legal there but are banned in the U.S., where they are still made and then sold out of the country.

We ordered a few fruit trees from Fedco and St. Lawrence Nurseries so will soon be planting. I’ll try a shovel in the orchard this afternoon and see how that goes. Sigh. I wish I were twins! — Jackie

I was excited to get the e-mail that my new Apple Trees will be shipping this week until I realized that there is no way all of our snow will be gone before they arrive. I ordered bare root trees from Fed-Co. Can you give me some advice on how to keep them healthy until I can get them in the ground?

Justin DingerBarnum, Minnesota

I got the same e-mail about ours! This has happened before and the first time I about had a panic attack. But I opened the package and checked the root packing; it was moist. So I re-wrapped the plastic and put the trees back in the box and set them in our unheated basement in the dark. Two weeks later, the snow was gone and I was able to plant my trees. If you have any dirt in your garden showing up and unfrozen, you can dig a shallow trench and set the trees’ roots in it, piling the dirt back over the roots. This is called “heeling” them in and will also keep them in good shape until you can plant them. I know our snow and frost is going fast so yours must be on the way, too. Hang in there! — Jackie

Saving tomato seeds

Does your Victorio strainer work to separate out tomato seeds when you’re saving those seeds to grow? The pictures in the ads always show a hopper full of raw tomatoes, does it really work with raw or do they have to be cooked? (I had decided to start my own seed company about a week before you announced yours. Talk about timing! But last fall it took so much time to chop tomatoes by hand to extract the seeds. Since I’m expanding the garden this year, I’m hoping there’s an easier way.)Also, there’s a tomato variety that I’ve been growing from cuttings taken off an indoor plant. It’s a great variety, amazingly drought-resistant, but because it was a volunteer I have no idea if it’s a hybrid, or even what the name of it might have been. How many generations of seed should I grow out before I can tell if it’s a hybrid or not. (Or, if it was a hybrid, when is it sufficiently “de-hybridized” to be safe selling the seed?)

Melanie RehbeinFitchburg, Wisconsin

The Victorio strainer does separate seeds and peels from raw tomatoes but I’m not sure if they are damaged so they might not germinate. I’m going to try some this year so ask again in the fall. I’ve heard that some seed savers use a blender to whiz whole tomatoes and then ferment the juice/slop/seeds (which are not supposed to be damaged. That sounds radical but maybe that would work, as well. I will also try that and let you know. For now, I cut my tomatoes in quarters and use my thumb to “milk” out the seeds and gel into a bowl. It really goes pretty fast that way.

Usually after 4-5 generations, even if you started out with a hybrid, selecting true-to-type plants/tomatoes each time you save seed, you will end up with a pretty much stabilized variety you can then name. I would mention that there could be off types and to advise folks to rogue out them if they intend to save seed. Hey, it happens… Good luck with your seed business! — Jackie

Yep, ANOTHER snowstorm! The weather radio, which we live by, is calling for a major winter storm with up to 14 inches of blowing, heavy, wet snow falling today, tonight, and tomorrow. Sigh. Just when we’ve been enjoying temperatures of 40 degrees above, sunny, and melting. It felt like spring.

So we went into the “getting ready for the blast” mode: give extra hay and bedding for the critters, fill the chicken feeder, get to town and get extra gas for the plow truck and bulldozer, not to mention the snow blower. And the snow is starting to fall heavily. Maybe I’ll bake bread. I always feel like cooking when it’s storming. Blizzards make me hungry!

But to perk us up, we found that our very first peppers of the year have germinated! The Early Jalapeños were, indeed, early! They popped up in seven days. So cool.

In two weeks I’ll be starting our tomatoes. As our fledgling seed business is doing so well, we’ve decided to grow and save seed for more than 25 heirloom, open-pollinated tomatoes this year in addition to several other crops such as beans, squash, and cucumbers. (here’s still plenty of seed left so if you’re thinking about ordering from us, please feel free to click on the button above to see what we have. And we have quite a bit of all of the seed offered (even the Bill Bean tomatoes, which I thought I was out of but then discovered I’d saved another envelope of them). Spring WILL come this year; I promise. — Jackie

We spent all day yesterday shoveling out. Will plowed the drive with the plow truck and I used the snowblower to clear paths to the barns and pens. But there was just too much snow! Instead of the 2-4 inches forecast, we got clobbered with about 16-18 inches with wind. Wow. So today, Will’s out with Old Yeller, our bulldozer, shoving back the huge snowbanks on both sides of our mile-plus long driveway. There’s just no more room to plow more snow!

I’ve been busy planting peppers in Jiffy pellets which I put in small containers to help keep track of the 18 different varieties (or so!) of peppers we’re planting this year. I plant and water the seeds, then I put each container inside a plastic shopping bag to keep the humidity inside. It makes all the difference in germination. Another thing that makes a difference is warmth. Since we’re off grid (using heat mats under the trays isn’t possible) and because our greenhouse is only about 65 degrees at night, I place my planted flats on shelves around the wood stove in the living room.

As Will’s working on the rock work, getting ready to clean it up to seal, I had no shelves to put them on! But I’d picked up a small metal shelf unit on wheels on a Do-Bid auction very cheaply and brought that in to use. It works great and I’m waiting for my peppers to germinate. If they’re kept warm and moist, they usually germinate in about 5-7 days, much under the “usual” germination time. Just putting the flats in a sunny window is fine IF the sun doesn’t cook the seeds in the daytime or chill them at night. It’s the chilling that happens here as some nights are still below zero. However TODAY the sun’s out and the temperature is over 40 degrees ABOVE zero! Hooray! — Jackie

It’s mid-February (does THAT seem possible?) and pretty soon I’ll be starting my peppers and petunias. They take a long time to get big. After the peppers are about 4 inches tall, I put them in our enclosed porch, next to the greenhouse, where it’s much cooler. Instead of 72 degrees, it’s more like 55-60 degrees. I’ve found that they grow slower and develop stronger roots and stockier stems, and don’t get leggy and bloom too soon. We’ll be putting them into the hoop house in May with night-time heat if frost threatens. I can hardly wait! DIRT! I do use the super-sized Jiffy pellets with biodegradable netting then transplant the pellet and all into large Styrofoam cups when the roots just begin to come through the sides of the pellet. That works great for me and the pepper harvest is terrific. Even here in the North.

Last night I made deep-fried, fresh, homemade tortillas from some of the Maseca (masa harina) that friends from our fall seminar gifted me with. Thanks so much, Teresa and Jose! I’ve got a tortilla press and all you have to do is mix the masa with a bit of salt and water, divide into balls, and press with the tortilla press. I use a piece of waxed paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the press. After pressing, I roll the tortilla thinner with a rolling pin. Then I fry them in about two inches of hot lard. By tilting the pan back and forth, the hot grease rolls over the top of the tortilla making it bubble. This makes a nice crispy tortilla. Served with melted Velveeta cheese mixed with half a pint of my own salsa, these make a meal in themselves!

I just had to share this cute picture with you. As Hondo is really getting too big to sit on my lap (which he still does from time to time), he decided that Spencer would make a good substitute. He’s always sat on him, but lately, more so. He just walks up when Spencer is lying down and backs up and sits down on him. Plop. Spencer doesn’t mind and we think it’s so funny.

One of these days, I’d like to get an English Mastiff puppy. And as Mastiffs grow to weigh 200 pounds or so, I sure hope he doesn’t take Hondo’s lead and plop down on Spencer! — Jackie